Hyundai pushed hard and introduced a facelifted version for the Accent’s second generation after four years since the model’s introduction.
Designed as a sportier-looking hatchback, the 3-door Accent showed a fresh design for the Korean carmaker, who was still trying to find its visual identity. That version aimed at the younger generation, and it was considered by many an excellent first-car thanks to its budget price, cheap repairs, and a good warranty. Its longer doors and the sporty-looking design were just a few other reasons to buy a three-door Accent.

When most of the carmakers started to sharpen-up the lines on their cars, Hyundai softened the Accent’s lines. The headlights were not as angular-looking, and the carmaker changed the former wedged edges on its sides to curved areas. Hyundai’s designers managed to make the taillights taller in the rear, but they also made the reversing lights smaller.

Inside, there were no visible changes to the interior, except for the instrument panel design, where the carmaker changed the position for the coolant temperature and fuel level gauge. Like its non-facelifted version, the 2003 Accent featured a split-folding rear bench seatback that increased the trunk size from 321 liters (11.4 cu-ft) to 859 liters (30.9 cu-ft).

Under the hood, Hyundai made an important step and installed a newly developed 1.5-liter turbodiesel engine. Other engine choices included the already known 1.3-liter and, as a full-option, a 1.6-liter unit that provided 105 hp. For the latter, the carmaker offered a 4-speed automatic transmission.